Warner, Rams Get Jolt From Holt in Big Win
Kurt Warner did it again, this time to the Atlanta Falcons.
Warner passed for four touchdowns Sunday, including two to Torry Holt on plays of 85 and 80 yards, and the unbeaten St. Louis Rams beat the Atlanta Falcons, 41-20.
The Rams scored 30 or more points for an NFL-record 10th consecutive regular-season game.
Warner also combined with Isaac Bruce on touchdown-pass plays of 14 and 66 yards as the Rams (4-0) increased their scoring average to 40 points.
Warner has already had impressive games against San Francisco, Seattle and Denver, passing for 1,221 yards and six touchdowns.
“We know that we can score whenever we get the ball,” Warner said.
It was the 12th time in 19 games that Warner has passed for more than 300 yards. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 336 yards and had one pass intercepted.
“We didn’t get a lot of shots, but we took advantage of them when we did get them,” Warner said of his scoring passes to Holt. “He did a great job. We gave him some chances one-on-one and he took care of the rest.”
The Rams, averaging 400.3 yards passing and 506 total yards, had 395 total yards against the Falcons (2-2).
“They’re the world champs,” Falcon linebacker Keith Brooking said. “You can’t make mistakes like we made.”
The Ram defense, which was ranked next to last in the NFL entering the game, had eight sacks--three by right end Grant Wistrom--two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, including a 94-yard return of a fumble for a touchdown by safety Keith Lyle. The fumble by Jamal Anderson gave him five this season, and he has lost a league-high three.
The Rams, who last played at the Georgia Dome in January when they defeated the Tennessee Titans, 23-16, to win the Super Bowl, took control late in the second quarter when Warner teamed with Holt on the 80-yard touchdown-pass play. The touchdown, which gave the Rams a 17-10 lead, stunned the Falcons and quieted the crowd of 58,761--more than 12,000 less than capacity.
Warner, who helped the Rams embarrass the Falcons, 35-7, and, 41-13, last season, completed eight of 13 passes for 168 yards in the first half. He connected with Holt on a pass of 12 yards to the 32, and when cornerback Ashley Ambrose missed the tackle, Holt sprinted down the sideline for the go-ahead touchdown.
Warner threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Bruce earlier in the second quarter.
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Flying Start
Ram quarterback Kurt Warner surpassed Drew Bledsoe’s record for passing yardage in the first four games of an NFL season:
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Com-Att Yards TD Int Warner in 2000 95-145 1,557 9 7 Bledsoe in 1994 109-176 1,417 9 6 Warner in 1999 82-113 1,217 14 3
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WARNER GAME BY GAME IN 200
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Date, Opponent Com-Att Yards TD Int Sept. 4 at Denver 25-45 441 2 3 Sept. 10 at Seattle 35-47 386 1 1 Sept. 17 San Francisco 23-34 394 2 2 Sept. 24 at Atlanta 12-19 336 4 1
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